The issue of doing it like this is the input field being explicitly defined there doesn't inherit all the attributes of Ext.form.Field which is a disadvantage when it comes to managing events.

Am I off base doing it like this? Is there a different way to get an Ext.form.Field inserted at the top of a list? The form field can be separate from the list and setup in a vbox, though from a quick try it looks like the layout would be a headache to get looking good, and I would rather have it integrated into a single, scrollable, visual object.